The Faculty and Staff of Shasta Bible College & Graduate Schools Wishes You:A Joy Filled Christmas and a New Year of Hope & Happiness as We Share The Good Tidings of Great Joy!From President & Mrs. David Nicholas

PhiIppians 2:5-11

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (NASB)

Dear Friends of SBC&GS:

Christmas is a very special time for the Nicholas family. We are privileged to have our children and grandchildren close by so we have made it a tradition to take an annual trek into the Lassen Forest to locate just the “perfect” tree for each of our households. Donna gets together with our daughters, Joy and Faith, to do crafty things like making Christmas wreaths and exchanging ideas as to how we can best celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Hey, I even got in some “Black Friday” shopping with one of my grandsons who thinks its cool to drive around with “Grandpa” from store to store at night even though he is nineteen. We all think its great that this year it appears to be more politically correct to say, “Merry Christmas!” And then, of course, I get to write letters like this and bring Christmas messages both in chapel and on our daily radio broadcast, “Truth for Today.”

Although there will always be those who want to delete anything “Christmas” from the holiday season, isn’t it wonderful that Christ’s birth continues to be celebrated unabated in most areas of the country. Having been through a period of relentless attacks on our Constitutional rights and religious liberty by government leaders who, in California at least, attempted to force Christian colleges and universities to accept and even condone anti-Biblical lifestyles, we are rejoicing that this attempt was turned back, at least temporarily, with the amending of Senate Bill 1146. God is still in control, and we are grateful for all of you who prayed and supported our opposition to this bill. Our task now is to “occupy until He comes” by utilizing the freedoms we continue to enjoy. That’s what we have done, and by God’s grace will continue to do, at Shasta Bible College & Graduate School. We live in exciting days! More than ever, the world needs to see Christian believers reflecting Christ’s love and concern for others, even those who are opposed to the Biblical moral and ethical precepts we espouse and represent. As “ministers of reconciliation” we must be constantly aware that those who oppose what we believe are nevertheless loved by God and are in desperate need of the salvation He offers through His only begotten (unique) Son, Jesus Christ. We know also that both God’s Word and prayer are used by the Holy Spirit to penetrate hearts and minds blinded by sin and satan.

The conclusion of 2016 will mark the beginning of SBC&GS’s 46th Anniversary. It also marks the 32nd year I have been privileged to serve as President. I trust that you will remember Shasta Bible College & Graduate School in your year-end giving. We currently need to raise $35,000 before the end of the year to meet our faculty salaries, operating expenses, insurance and other expenses. It is essential that we increase our financial support to maintain both our state approval and our accreditation.

I want to personally thank those of you who prayed and financially supported us over the past year. It is because of people like you that we continue to equip Christian servant-leaders for the 21st Century.

This past year has been one of the most rewarding of my tenure as President. Historically, our focus has been to equip Christian leaders for life and ministry. What a joy it has been to see our gifted young men and women, use their talents spiritual gifts in local churches, apply their minds to Bible memorization, graduate and assume strategic Christian leadership positions in America and other parts of the world.

I want to acquaint you with one of our fine students who comes from India:His name is Enoch Mindi from Visakhapatnam, in Southern India, where his grandfather and his parents have developed a ministry to orphans, widows and village pastors. SBC&GS is equipping Enoch to pastor and develop a Bible College where future pastors will be better prepared to plant and lead new churches in the surrounding rural areas where no churches exist. Enoch’s family has already established 12 churches in cooperation with missionaries from the United States. Concerning his experience at Shasta Bible College & Graduate School, Enoch says: “It has really been a blessing to be at SBC&GS because the professors are faithfully teaching the Word of God and are also available for encouragement and support. I even share what I am learning with my Father at home, who is excited to learn theological truth to which he has never previously been exposed.”